Continuous process for the production and treatment of artificial threads



Oct. 17, 1950 s. w. BARKER CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION AND TREATMENT OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Filed Dec 8, 1947 [HWY/11m SYDNEY WARREN BARKER Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT orries CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE raonoo: TION AND TREATMENT OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Sydney Warren Barker, Colne, England, assignor I to Lustrafil Limited, Nelson, England Application December 8, 1947, Serial No. 790,285 In Great Britain December 6, 1946 Section 1,. Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires December 6, 1966 v This invention relates to the continuous proc esses for the spinning and treatment of artificial threads, and in particular to such processes In which the thread issuing from the splnneret traverses a pair of inclined rollers for storing and advancing the thread in the form of helical loops, during which traverse the thread may undergo coagulation, washing, desulphurisation, hardenin drying and the like treatments.

The rollers in such processes are mounted on shafts set at or adjustable to the desired inclination to each other, and at least one of the pair of rollers is rotated by a positive drive. In some apparatus the shafts are supported at one end only, but even in those cases it is found advisable to connect the free ends with a rigid (sometimes adjustable) distance piece to prevent disturbance of the even running of the thread by changes in the inclination of the shafts to each other. It is much preferred to have the shafts supported at both ends, but this involves added difliculties in starting up at the beginning of the process or after a break in the thread.

Whether the shafts are supported at one end or at both ends, every starting up involves leading the free end of the thread by hand over the guides and rollers to the collecting device; all parts of the machine must therefore be readily accessible for manual adjustment of the thread,

and much space is thus wasted. 3U mansions that when stretched over the pair of We have now found that these difilculties may f ,t 1t i bunder a terzsiotn approxima ly qual largely be eliminated and considerable economy 3 t a to e applled 0 he thread. But even of s ace effected b using for starting up at the when these tensions differ considerably and the p t ini ft b k"th d t'dbthflblblttfl commencemen of sp n ng or a er a rea In rea 1s cons rame y e ex1 e e o o the thread, an endless belt, rope or loop formedlow a greater or smaller number of loops in travby sep a y i o zg s gs e by 5 m n; of a ersing the length of the rollers than would natusuitable coup g 6 en 8 0 8 Eng 0 8X rally be the case, the thread quickly adjusts itmaterial, preferably elastic material, such as rub self after removal of the flexible belt, ber, of such a length as to pass, when stretched. The belt may be of ordinary rubber or rubber I completely rou d th pair oilincll i il i s igh b like material or of any material having the neces- The method ofihe nven on us m y sary flexibility and/or extensibility and recovery, Way of example m the accompanying drawing e g nylon or olythene which is not deleteriin which parts ofa pair of thread-storing,threadfie ted the treatment 1i id to h advancing rollers I, 2, are shown diagrammatious y a s W m cally. A thread 3, which is undergoing processthe thread u i It may be round fiat ing, is disposed in a helical path about rollers I in e and 1S farmed from sultable and 2 to which it has been carried, as will be l tig of material bly czliiuphcriig the ends together, explained hereinafter, by attachment at point 4 s Y means 0 a 00 a eye afrangflmen to a flexible endless belt or rope 5. Belt 5 is pro- {nethod 0f t ve on 18 p cu arly vided with a separable connection 6 by which th useful In the continuous spinnin of r flclal ends of a length of suitable belt material may threads by the wet process. but it is also applicabe joined together to form a closed loop. The dible in all manufactures in which a thread is made rection of the thread travel and, by inference, to traverse in helical loops a pair of rollers whose the direction of rotationof the two rollers, is inworking surfaces are mutually inclined to provide storing and advancing means for the thread undicated by the arrow heads applied to thread 3.

3 Claims. (Cl. 28-715) When starting up a continuous wet spinning process, for example, the flexible belt or loop 5 is unlinked, passed round the pair of rollers at the near or thread-receiving end (i. e., to the right in the drawing), the two ends of the belt being then re-joined and held in place with one hand whilst with the other the clot of coagulated material, accumulating near the spinneret in the coagulating bath,is passed over the guide hooks (not shown) to the first roller where it is tucked under or round the flexible belt between the latter and the surface of the roller, the clot being preferably wrapped round the belt so as to secure some adhesion between them. The thread and the belt are immediately released, and the belt begins its traverse of the pair of rollers, carrying the thread with it. When it reaches the far end of the rollers (i. e., to the left in the drawing), it is unlinked and removed from the rollers, whilst the end of the thread is carried by hand over other guide hooks (not shown) to the collecting device.

The distance between successive helical loops 7 of the thread as it traverses the pair of rollers, depends on the angle between the rollers and on the degree of tension applied to the thread. Best results are obtained therefore, according to the invention, when the flexible belt is of such didergoing treatment. Where an already coagulated thread is being subjected to treatments on such a pair of rollers, we flnd it convenient to tie the thread to the flexible belt instead of merely tucking it under or round the belt.

Usually the belt is put on the rollers at the commencement of the traverse, but if another part of the rollers is conveniently accessible, the belt may be put on there in the event of a break in the thread occurring in that neighbourhood.

The inclined or thread-storing and advancing rollers may be cylindrical, conical, stepped or of any desired contour.

I claim:

1. In a process for the continuous manufacture of thread, the method or" conducting the thread initially along a pair of rotating rollers whose working surfaces are mutually inclined for storing and advancing said thread in a series of helical loops, which comprises passing a length of flexible material around said rollers at their starting ends and separably Joining the ends of said flexible material to form. an endless belt tautly embracing said pair of rollers, holding said belt in position while attaching the thread thereto, releasing said belt and allowing it to traverse the length of the rollers carrying with it the thread, and at the end of the traverse separating the interconnected ends of said belt and removing it from the rollers.

2. Apparatus for the continuous manufacture of thread comprising a pair oi. revolving rollers whose working surfaces are mutually inclined to provide means for storing and advancing said thread in a helical path about said rollers, and a length or flexible material, said length being provided with a coupling for separably joining its ends together to form an endless belt, said belt tautly embracing said pair of rollers and adapted and arranged to have secured thereto the starting end of said thread for conducting the latter initially along its path about said pair of rollers.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which the flexible material of which said belt is formed is elastic and is unaffected by the treatment liquid to which the thread is subjected.

SYDNEY WARREN BARKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 894,593 Callan July 28, 1908 1,916,372 Hepburn July 4, 1933 2,136,556 Lovett Nov. 15, 1938 2,350,182 Neil May 30, 1944 

2. APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF THREAD COMPRISING A PAIR OF REVOLVING ROLLERS WHOSE WORKING SURFACES ARE MUTUALLY INCLINED TO PROVIDE MEANS FOR STORING AND ADVANCING SAID THREAD IN A HELICAL PATH ABOUT SAID ROLLERS, AND A LENGTH OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, SAID LENGTH BEING PROVIDED WITH A COUPLING FOR SEPARABLY JOINING ITS ENDS TOGETHER TO FORM AN ENDLES BELT, SAID BELT TAUTY EMBRACING SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS AND ADAPTED AND ARRANGED TO HAVE SECURED THERETO THE STARTING END OF SAID THREAD FOR CONDUCTING THE LATTER INITIALLY ALONG ITS PATH ABOUT SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS. 